Balloon catheters can be used for a variety of medical procedures such as, for example, to widen an occluded body vessel, as in angioplasty, to position a medical device, such as a stent or a graft, or to selectively block a passageway. A balloon catheter may include an inflatable and deflatable balloon positioned on a catheter body. Initially, the balloon is folded around the catheter body to reduce the radial profile of the balloon catheter for easy insertion into the body.
During use, for example, in angioplasty, the folded balloon can be positioned at a location in a vessel occluded by a stenosis by threading the balloon catheter through a guide catheter and over a guide wire emplaced in the body. The balloon is then inflated, e.g., by introducing a fluid into the interior of the balloon. Inflating the balloon can radially expand the stenosis to permit increased blood flow through the vessel. After expanding the stenosis, the balloon is deflated and withdrawn from the body.